Michael Cohen
College Football and College Basketball Writer
Ever since the midway point of the season, by which time it had become clear that St. John’s was deserving of consideration among the best teams in the country, analysts have wondered what would happen if the Red Storm’s proverbial Achilles’ heel truly reared its ugly head. In other words, could head coach Rick Pitino’s group — which entered the Round of 32 ranked 329th in 3-point field goal percentage at 30.8% — persevere in a game when their statistically chilly perimeter shooting turned extra icy? Could the Red Storm still find a way to win?
What had been nothing more than a thought experiment for the better part of the season was finally examined in earnest against 10th-seeded Arkansas on Saturday afternoon, a trip to the Sweet 16 at stake. St. John’s, which had erupted for 14 made 3-pointers in a comprehensive 83-53 win over Omaha in the opening round, suddenly began to miss. And miss, and miss, and miss. Just one of the Red Storm’s 13 attempts from 3-point range found the target during a grating first half against the Razorbacks, who themselves were similarly inefficient from beyond the arc. That the only player who connected on a 3-pointer for St. John’s was reserve guard Lefteris Liotopoulos underscored how dire the situation was becoming. Starters Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and RJ Luis Jr. tried and failed on all six of their shots.
The result was a three-point halftime lead for Arkansas, whose coach, John Calipari, assembled a roster with enough length and athleticism to neutralize — or at least offset — the advantages St. John’s most often enjoyed in the Big East. Calipari’s team matched the Red Storm with 18 points in the paint during the opening stanza and nearly equaled them on the glass (29-25 in favor of St. John’s). The groundwork had been laid for a potential upset of seismic proportions; after all, the Razorbacks nearly missed the NCAA Tournament entirely following a swerving 19-12 regular season in which they lost more SEC games than they won.
And somehow, someway, amid some confluence of unknown reasons, the performance from St. John’s only worsened from there. The Red Storm missed 11 consecutive field goal attempts from the 3:40 mark of the first half to the 18:00 mark of the second, by which point their deficit on the scoreboard had increased to 11 points. Richmond fouled out with 6:28 remaining in just 16 minutes of playing time, his final stat line featuring the same number of points (five) as fouls (five) in a shocking display. Luis, who was named Big East Player of the Year, spent the final 4:56 on the bench for reasons that weren’t immediately clear, though he did endure a horrific 3-for-17 shooting effort.
But it wasn’t as if the Red Storm were without chances, especially in the last few minutes. As Arkansas’ players tightened under pressure — eschewing half-court offense for meandering, clock-draining possessions long before such a strategy would be generally advisable — the Razorbacks settled for worse and worse shots, missing six of their final 10 from the field. Had Pitino’s team been able to connect on any of its myriad attempts from 3-point range down the stretch, the outcome of Saturday’s game would likely have been different. But St. John’s missed seven 3s in the over the final 6:14, including six bricks in the last two minutes alone.
It was too much futility for the Red Storm to overcome: Arkansas 75, St. John’s 66.
A dream season for Pitino and his team had expired.
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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